HANK’S PASTRIES - A BRIEF HISTORY

1884 - From the time of the great fire that destroyed down town Port Perry, July 3, 1884 it appears that this location has been a bakery in one form or another. Raised from the ashes by Wm. Hiscox with a new oven and a brick building (that would not burn to the ground in another fire).

1894 - Purchased by Charles Pearn after the death of Mr. Hiscox

1910 - Sold to Dr. George A. Coates “a veterinarian!” for 1 month, then he sold it to Nicholas Ingram and that’s when the business became known simply as Ingram’s.

1915 - The Sarvis brothers from Prince Albert purchased the business from the Ingrams and focused the business on baking and confectionery.

1919 - The White brothers, Harry S. and Bert became owners of the bakery and renamed it H.S. White until A.E. Sims purchased it from them in 1922. Mr. Sims took ill and it was subsequently reacquired by H.S. White

1924 - In May of 1924, Elijah H. Gerrow purchased the bakery from H.S. White and it became known as E.H. Gerrow and Son. A well known member of our community – a philanthropist and art enthusiast, fund raiser and founder of the Kent Farndale Art Gallery, - Kent Farndale is the daughter of Mr. Grant Gerrow (son of Elijah Gerrow) who assumed ownership of the bakery in 1935.

1961 - Grant Gerrow sold the bakery to long-time employee Wentworth Watson who carried on under the new name Wentworth Bakery.

1967 - In 1963, just 2 years after immigrating to Canada from his native Holland where he was an accomplished baker, Mr. Hank DeJong opened a new bakery across the street from the Wentworth Bakery (next to the present day Emerson’s building). On May 5, 1967 Hank purchased the building and bakery where it is located today from Mr. Watson (a brief owner of the Wentworth bakery who fell ill). Along with his wife Minnie, he and his 5 children Wayne, Diny, Edith, Ken and Henry, Hank built the bakery and its reputation into what it is today, and of course called it “Hank’s Pastries”.

1979 - In 1979 Hank sold the business to his eldest son Wayne and went into semi-retirement. Wayne had big plans for Hank’s Pastries and soon set to putting those plans into action with a sizable addition to the premises that would accommodate a larger seating area for the restaurant and preparation area for the bakery.

1986 - Wayne's younger brother Ken and his wife Angie took over the family business. Wayne took his talents in baking to his favourite northern escape, the beautiful town of Halliburton, where he opened a new bakery he called "Rachael's". Soon after Ken and Angie began their new life in the bakery business the DeJong family suffered a tragic blow at the loss of their founder Hank. With support from the family and community and the baking in the blood of his son Ken, Hank's has grown and flourished into the family favourite bakery of generations and is proud to offer the same quality of excellence established on this site over 100 years ago!